Germany's BioNTech plans UK trial of mRNA cancer therapy

Fri, January 6, 2023 


German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which developed a trailblazing Covid-19 vaccine, will trial a cancer treatment in Britain using the same mRNA technology, the company said on Friday.

Up to 10,000 people will receive the immunotherapy tailored to individual tumours by the end of 2030, either in trials or as an approved treatment, BioNTech said in a statement.

The project is part of a new agreement with the British government focused on "cancer immunotherapies, infectious disease vaccines, and expansion of BioNTech's footprint in the UK", the company said.

BioNTech will also open a new research and development centre with around 70 staff in Cambridge, as well as setting up a regional headquarters in London.


"Our goal is to accelerate the development of immunotherapies and vaccines using technologies we have been researching for over 20 years," said Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech.

The UK "successfully delivered Covid-19 vaccines so quickly", he said, demonstrating "that drug development can be accelerated without cutting corners if everyone works seamlessly together towards the same goal".

The messenger RNA method made its debut with the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, which was the first jab against Covid to be approved in the West in late 2020.

Scientists believe mRNA vaccines, which provoke an immune response by delivering genetic molecules containing the code for key parts of a pathogen into human cells, could be a game-changer against many diseases.

They also take less time to develop than traditional vaccines.

BioNTech's Covid-19 shot was developed and approved by regulators in less than a year.

BioNTech is also working on mRNA-based vaccines against malaria, influenza and shingles.

The company has been developing mRNA-based cancer therapies since it was founded in 2008 and they have been trialled on several hundred people so far.

fec/hmn/lth

Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine halved with help from Amazon and Microsoft

Gareth Corfield
Sat, January 7, 2023

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - JAN 5: Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar on the Vuhledar frontline in Donetsk oblast, 5 January 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) - Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Frontline support from Silicon Valley giants has helped halve the number of Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine, new figures show.

Millions of dollars-worth of cyber security help given by Microsoft and Amazon to Kyiv has dramatically reduced the number of cyberattacks by making it harder for Moscow to mount digital offensives.

Statistics published by Ukraine’s government show that while the country suffered more than 2,100 separate cyberattacks last year, the frequency per month halved in the months following the outbreak of war.

It came as some of the world’s biggest technology companies mobilised to support Kyiv, with Microsoft and Amazon donating around $400m of digital support between them. Big Tech’s help was crucial in helping fend off the worst of the ongoing Russian cyber-assault.

Cyber attacks surged as Russian tanks rolled across its eastern borders in February 2022. Kyiv suffered nearly 290 separate assaults in that month alone, as Moscow deployed its digital weaponry alongside traditional firepower.

However by August the number had dropped to around 140 attacks per month, according to figures from Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team.

A Ukrainian government source said Russia has been targeting “military but civil infrastructure” in a bid to undermine the resolve of Ukrainians.

Western governments and private companies alike have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of digital support, with Amazon and Microsoft alone accounting for around £400m of backing.

Microsoft president Brad Smith said that his company’s support for Ukraine’s government amounted to $400m (£333.5m) since the invasion, adding that support during 2023 would be extended “free of charge”.

“The continued defence of Ukraine depends in part on a critical digital alliance of countries, companies and nonprofits,” he said in November.

Amazon said in December it has committed around $75m (£63m) in support to Ukraine, including providing some of its Snowball devices for copying vital computer files out of Ukrainian data centres, allowing people to move crucial information online.

Jeff Bezos’s company has also helped migrate Ukrainian government operations into its cloud, Amazon Web Services. Mikhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said in December that this support had “made one of the biggest contributions to Ukraine’s victory.”

Google has organised charitable donation efforts during 2022 totalling $45m (£37.5m), it said, along with a further $5m raised by the advertising technology company’s employees.

The company has also cracked down on Russian propaganda on Google Search as well as in YouTube videos.

Russia pioneered the tactic of deploying cyberattacks alongside real-world military aggression, first showcasing this approach in 2008 when it invaded the Georgian province of South Ossetia. Russian hackers successfully targeted digital infrastructure including computer servers belonging to news agencies and government departments in a bid to paralyse Georgia.

Before the invasion, Russia and Ukraine were both home to groups of organised cyber criminals with links to the Russian government.

Industry sources said that some online criminal gangs were co-opted into attacking Ukrainian targets selected by Russian intelligence agencies following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

US cyber security company Mandiant, which is a Google subsidiary, published research last week detailing how Russian hackers from a criminal gang nicknamed Turla had tried to compromise the computer servers of Ukrainian businesses.

Booby-trapped USB sticks planted near the buildings of targeted Ukrainian companies were loaded with malware. Hackers hoped curious staff would plug them into computers and unintentionally unleash computer viruses saved on them.

John Hultquist, Mandiant’s vice president of threat intelligence, said: “Obviously there's the relationship between state actors and criminals in Russia to consider,” adding that Russian spy agency the FSB had “teamed up with criminals it was supposed to hunt”.

Aside from major tech companies, Western governments have also provided crucial behind-the-scenes cyber security support to Ukraine.

Whitehall has contributed around £6.5m in cyber support to Ukraine, including specialised antivirus software.

Lindy Cameron, chief executive of GCHQ agency the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said when the government revealed the donations: “The NCSC is proud to have played a part in supporting Ukraine’s cyber defenders. They have mounted an impressive defence against Russian aggression in cyberspace, just as they have done on the physical battlefield.”

The NCSC is Britain’s cyber security agency, charged with using hackers’ skills to work in defence of Britain and British interests.

The US also proffered help. As well as defensive support, US Cyber Command has carried out offensive cyber operations against Russia.

General Paul Nakasone told Sky News last summer: “We've conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations.”

Ukraine recently rejected a Russian ceasefire proposal timed to coincide with the Russian Orthodox Christmas, with president Volodymyr Zelensky saying the truce was an attempt to stop his country recapturing occupied territory.

Dickies, the iconic brand founded in Fort Worth a century ago, is making a big move

Jenny Rudolph
Fri, January 6, 2023 

Dickies, the world’s No. 1 work apparel manufacturer founded in Fort Worth, is moving its new global headquarters into The Tower complex in downtown after a century of operations on West Vickery Boulevard.

The workwear retail brand will make the move in mid-2023 into the top floor of the six-story building at 500 Taylor St., which is the parking garage and retail/office building next to the The Tower condominium high-rise. City records show the company plans to spend $2.5 million to renovate about 20,000 square feet of space.

“After nearly a century at 509 Vickery Blvd., we’re thrilled to share that Dickies will be moving into our new global headquarters in downtown Fort Worth in 2023,” said Lance Meller, Dickies’ global brand president.

“We have been part of this community since the infancy of the brand, and this move will allow us to collaborate more freely, build deeper relationships with makers in our own backyard, and access top talent as we continue to grow. We’re proud to call Fort Worth home and can’t wait for this new chapter to unfold.”

West Vickery Boulevard, just south of Interstate 30 and the railroad tracks, has served as the site of a Dickies manufacturing facility and adjacent retail store for decades. While the new headquarters will vacate the red-brick campus for The Tower, the company declined to comment whether the existing retail store on West Vickery will also leave. It is unclear if the new downtown global headquarters will feature its own retail store similar to the previous format.

Dickies started in Fort Worth and has operated out of 509 Vickery for almost the entirety of its 100-year existence, Meller said. Williamson-Dickie, a family-owned company, was acquired in 2017 by North Carolina-based apparel manufacturer VF Corp., which also owns the brands Vans, North Face and Timberland. VF paid $820 million in cash for the company.

“Our growth story starts with our people, and investing in creating a new cultural brand hub will drive opportunities for the Fort Worth community, as well as our global footprint,” Meller said. “As we embark on readying the new headquarters for our arrival at the mid-point of next year, we are making upgrades to the space to infuse our brand’s DNA throughout, to truly illuminate a Dickies experience that inspires our employee community, and those who spend time visiting us.”

The company declined to comment on any increased manufacturing capabilities this could bring the brand. It is also unclear if the move will bring any new jobs or additional relocations to Fort Worth. The company did not share details about any new lines of business associated with the relocation or differences in the new form of headquarters.

Meller said “many more announcements” about Dickies are expected to come in 2023, along with continued brand growth.

VF Corp. reported revenue declines in its most recent earnings statement for the quarter ending Oct. 1. Among its four biggest brands, Dickies saw the steepest year-over-year revenue declines of 19 percent in the quarter.

Steve Rendle, the chairman, president and CEO of VF Corp., pointed to disruptions in the global marketplace including COVID in China, where raw materials are sourced, and economic uncertainty for businesses.

“Our purpose built portfolio of iconic, deeply-loved brands continues to benefit from tailwinds in the outdoor, active, streetwear and workwear spaces,” Rendle said in a statement in the quarterly report.

Dickies, which is also known in North Texas for making the clothing for Big Tex at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, produced uniforms for U.S. service members during World War II. The company acquired naming rights for Dickies Arena, which opened in 2019.

CULT OF THE BLACK NAZARENE
Filipino Catholics hold big procession after pandemic eases















1 / 15
Philippines Religious ProcessionDevotees participate in the "Walk of Faith" procession as part of celebrations for the feast day of the Black Nazarene, a centuries-old charred statue of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Manila, Philippines. The Black Nazarene draws massive numbers of largely poor devotees who pray for the sick and a better life in this predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA
Sat, January 7, 2023 

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of Catholic devotees, many donning protective masks and bearing candles, joined a night procession through downtown Manila early Sunday to venerate a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ, which was not paraded to discourage an even larger crowd amid lingering fears of COVID-19.

The more than 80,000 devotees who church officials said joined the nearly 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) “Walk of Faith” procession were a fraction of the more than a million worshippers who typically converged in pre-pandemic years to pay homage to the life-size Black Nazarene statue in one of Asia’s biggest religious festivals.

In chaotic dawn-to-midnight processions in the past, when the Black Nazarene was paraded on a carriage pulled by ropes, mobs of mostly poor, barefoot devotees in maroon shirts would squeeze their way through the crowd around the slow-moving carriage to throw towels at volunteers, who wiped parts of the statue in the belief that the Nazarene’s powers would cure ailments and ensure good health and a better life.

Without the Nazarene, Sunday’s procession from a historic park by Manila Bay to a church in Quiapo district was orderly but still intense, with many worshippers mumbling prayers and others singing and chanting "Nazareno" as they marched in the early hours of the morning. Many carried replicas of the religious icon. The procession, which kicked off after a midnight Mass, was completed in less than three hours.


Officials of the church in Quiapo, where the Nazarene is enshrined throughout the year, brought the statue to a grandstand at Rizal Park before Sunday's procession to allow worshippers to pray before it through the weekend up to Monday, when the annual feast of the Black Nazarene is celebrated. Kissing the statue was prohibited due to fears the action could spread COVID-19 infections.

Teresa Pateañe, a 51-year-old devotee who carried a Nazarene replica, said the religious gathering was not the same without the mystical statue amid a sea of worshippers jostling to touch it in a show of piety.

“We are sad because we cannot do the things we used to do, like climbing up the carriage,” she told The Associated Press. “But we are very thankful that the (Black Nazarene) is already on the grandstand. The people can see it again.”

The religious Nazarene procession was suspended at the height of COVID-19 outbreaks the last two years in the Philippines, one of the hardest-hit countries by the pandemic in Southeast Asia. Church officials decided not to parade the Nazarene this year as a precaution, even after the pandemic eased, but organized the religious march as an alternative at a time of widespread social and economic distress.

Police were on alert and deployed thousands of personnel to secure the country’s largest gathering and remind devotees not to congregate too closely for health reasons.

The Nazarene statue is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue survived. Many devotees believe the statue’s endurance, from fires and earthquakes through the centuries and intense bombings during World War II, is a testament to its miraculous powers.

The spectacle reflects the unique brand of Catholicism, which includes folk superstitions, in Asia’s largest Catholic nation. Dozens of Filipinos have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday in another unusual tradition to emulate Christ’s suffering that draws huge crowds of worshippers and tourists each year.

___

Associated Press journalist Bogie Calupitan contributed to this report.

The South Korean draq queen raising LGBT awareness

Sophie Williams - BBC News
Sat, January 7, 2023 

Heezy Yang performs at events in South Korea as Hurricane Kimchi

"When I first tried drag, I didn't know what it would be like and how into it I would be. It gave me some sort of empowerment and liberation," says Heezy Yang.

Yang has been performing as his drag act Hurricane Kimchi for almost a decade, taking part in a number of events including Seoul Pride in South Korea's capital.

"There are thousands there in the audience at Seoul Pride and I feel like I'm a superstar. I get the tingles and a real adrenaline buzz," Yang tells the BBC. "I enjoy interacting with people and getting energy from a big crowd."

He tried drag for the first time after seeing friends do it and realised it could be a tool to combine his activism and love of the arts.

"The first few times I didn't have any agenda. I did it for fun," he says. "The more I did drag, the more I performed, I could see how I could use it and how I could enjoy it."

Drag isn't as common in South Korea compared to other countries like the UK and US. Yang admits a few eyebrows can be raised when he goes out in public dressed as Hurricane Kimchi.

"In the streets sometimes I go to a drag show with my face on, people would be confused," he says. "I've never felt physically threatened being in drag in public spaces although I am aware that people may be thinking negatively or looking at me in a negative way."

Heezy takes part in a number events to represent both the drag and wider LGBT community

South Korea has no anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people and same-sex marriage is not recognised. Being LGBT is often seen as a disability or mental illness. Some powerful conservative churches consider being gay or trans a sin. A report by Human Rights Watch last year found that discrimination against LGBT people in the country is "pervasive".

Yang says that both drag and LGBT culture is still new to older generations who can often be confused, but younger Koreans are more aware of drag culture.

"They grew up watching Hollywood movies and things like Ru Paul's Drag Race so they are very supportive and accepting. Even if they didn't know what drag was, they have quickly learned things. There is a gap between generations but I am very positive about what is to come," says Yang.

He sees the positive influence drag can have when attending smaller pride events in cities that might not have a widely established LGBT scene.

The crowds are smaller, but it means that young people get to experience the festivities and be a part of the LGBT community.

"It's very meaningful to be able to be there and perform for them," he says.

Yang also likes to bring LGBT issues to people's attention, choosing to take part in protests while in drag, and bringing awareness to the government's policies towards the community.

Hurricane Kimchi's drag is more on the political side, referencing Heezy's work as an activist

"I'm a bearded queen and I don't always do sexy, trendy performances. I like to do protest and political performances as well. It's also important for me to give back to the community and be supportive to other people in the community," Yang says.

"If we want to achieve things and get things done, we should raise our voice and be seen. People should be aware that we are here and we are just like them and have human rights."

Yang's love of drag and the idea of representing it on a bigger scale led him to co-create Seoul Drag Parade in 2018.

"I thought I would gather maybe 20 or 30 people and we would just have fun and hang out. At the end of the night, the number of people who had taken part in festivities throughout the day were about 1,000 people. It was overwhelming but good," he recalls.

The parade was held online during the pandemic but it is hoped that this year it will return to an in-person event. Yang aims to host it in Itaewon, an area of Seoul that has a number of LGBT-owned bars. The area has been hit financially by the pandemic and more recently, the Itaewon crush in which 159 people died. A number of LGBT businesses are struggling financially as visitor numbers diminished.

Drag and events like Seoul Drag Parade have "buoyed the LGBT community in Korea," says Todd Henry, associate professor of history at the University of California, San Diego.

"If you asked someone 20 years ago what a drag queen is, I don't think they would have had any idea what you were talking about. They probably would have mistaken that person for transgender. In this sense, activities led by individual drag queens and by drag queen communities have expanded historically binary understandings of genders and sexualities," he says.

He adds that at pride festivals, a number of allies show up to support drag acts and also support the LGBT community.

"In recent years, self-identifying 'sexual minorities' (including many drag queens) and their progressive supporters have increased to more than 100,000 a year at City Hall or wherever else the Seoul Pride Festival is hosted. I'm optimistic about what is to come," he says.

For Yang, his focus is on continuing his drag and bringing the community together.

"Sometimes on social media I get messages and comments from people thanking me for the events that I host and the fact I make my events accessible and friendly. I like to think I open doors for people and they appreciate it. It makes me happy."

DESANTIS BANANA REPUBLIC
'Don't Say Gay' feud advances with new proposed legislation

 Performers dressed as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck entertain visitors at Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on April 18, 2022. Florida lawmakers will move to increase state control of Walt Disney World's private government, according to a notice published Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, that marks the latest development in a feud over a law critics call “Don't Say Gay.”

ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Fri, January 6, 2023 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers will move to increase state control of Walt Disney World's private government, according to a notice published Friday, the latest development in a feud over a law critics have dubbed “Don't Say Gay.”

The notice posted on the Osceola County website says the Republican-controlled statehouse will take up legislation changing the structure and powers of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as the 55-year-old Disney government is known.

A bill has not yet been filed detailing exactly what changes would be under consideration. The notice serves as a procedural step in what has become a closely watched process between Disney and Florida.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year signed legislation that would dissolve the Disney government in June 2023, a moved aimed at punishing the company for its public opposition to a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and lessons deemed not age appropriate.

Additionally, Disney said it would suspend political donations in the state and that it would support organizations working to oppose the education law.

DeSantis and statehouse Republicans slammed Disney, saying the entertainment giant had become a purveyor of so-called woke ideologies that are inappropriate for children.

The squabble marked a rare moment of discord between the state and Disney, one of Florida's largest employers and a major political donor. It also provided another front in an ongoing culture war that has made DeSantis one of the nation's most popular Republicans.

The creation of Reedy Creek district was instrumental in Disney's decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s. Having a separate government allows the company to provide zoning, fire protection, utilities and infrastructure services on its sprawling property.

The language of Friday's notice aligns with assurances Republican lawmakers and DeSantis have made regarding the district's future, including a pledge that the district's debts and bond obligations would not fall to local county governments.

The notice also says the legislation would intend to increase state accountability of the district, change how its governing body is selected, and revise permitting rules and the district’s regulatory frameworks, among other things.

“Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes,” Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, said in a written statement. “Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents.”

The Legislature is set to meet for its next regular session in March.

State moves to take more control of Reedy Creek, former Disney district



Jim Turner
Fri, January 6, 2023 

Lawmakers are moving forward with plans that would give the state more control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted last year after the Walt Disney Co. criticized a controversial education law.

A notice posted Friday by the Legislature on Osceola County’s website outlined potential changes that might keep the framework of the special district but make a series of changes such as the state dictating who would run the district. Also, the changes would make clear that the district’s debt could not be transferred to nearby local governments, while raising the possibility of a new name for Reedy Creek.

The sprawling district, which covers portions of Orange and Osceola counties, was created for Disney in 1967 and essentially gave the entertainment giant control over issues such as land use, fire protection and wastewater services.

But Disney angered DeSantis last year by publicly opposing a law that restricts instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. As a result, Republican lawmakers passed a measure to dissolve Reedy Creek and five other special districts across the state.

The bill, however, did not make the dissolutions effective until June 1, 2023, giving time for lawmakers to possibly re-establish the districts and make changes.

Detailed legislation has not been released with proposed changes to Reedy Creek. But DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said Friday, “The corporate kingdom has come to an end.”

“Under the proposed legislation, Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes,” Fenske said in a statement. “Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents.”

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, described the notice as a procedural step that “starts the legally required timeframe necessary to move forward with developing a local bill to end the self-governance of the Walt Disney World Company, while protecting local taxpayers from Disney’s debts.”

Critics of the 2022 bill to dissolve Reedy Creek argued it could result in tax burdens being shifted to residents and businesses in Orange and Osceola counties.

In a Twitter post Friday, Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, offered a prediction that “DeSantis creates some ridiculous culture war drama and then he’ll announce the negotiations w/Disney.”

“Curious how this’ll stop special treatment Disney gets,” Eskamani said. “Seems to me the main goal is to give DeSantis control over a private company.”

Adrian Lukis, a former chief of staff for DeSantis who now works for the Ballard Partners lobbying firm, told Fox News that, “while this will be painful for Disney, I expect businesses throughout the state will be proud of their governor for making it clear that he doesn’t care who you are, or how politically connected you may be — no one gets special treatment in Florida.”

Rumors of the changes have been circulating in Tallahassee for months.

The notice, in part, calls for increasing state oversight and revising the district’s authority over permitting and regulations. It also pointed to “revising the selection process, membership qualifications, and compensation for the governing body” of the district.

PIRACY!
‘CORPORATE KINGDOM’: DeSantis-backed plan to take control of Disney's land announced



Matt Leach

FOX NEWS
Fri, January 6, 2023 

A plan was announced Friday to introduce a bill into the Florida Legislature that would replace Walt Disney World's special self-governing power with a state-run board.

The notice was posted on the website of Osceola County, which houses part of Disney World along with Orange County. Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing the effort, according to sources in his office, and the intended legislation will mandate that members of the board will be appointed by the governor, according to sources in the governor's office.

"The corporate kingdom has come to an end," DeSantis' communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News. "Under the proposed legislation, Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes."

"Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents," she added.

The planned legislation will also ensure that the company will pay upwards of $700 million dollars in unsecured debt accumulated by Disney’s special jurisdiction — known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District — and not Orange County taxpayers, according to the sources.

Last year, DeSantis signed a measure into law dissolving Walt Disney World’s special governing power in the state after the company publicly opposed a new parental rights law in the state. At the bill signing ceremony, the Florida Republican said Disney lied about the "Parental Rights in Education" law's contents and that he viewed the company’s vow to fight it as unacceptable.

Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis after taking the oath of office waves to those in attendance at his second term inauguration in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. January 3, 2023.

DESANTIS SIGNS BILL STRIPPING DISNEY OF SELF GOVERNING STATUS

"The governor is doing exactly what he said he would," DeSantis' former chief of staff, Adrian Lukis, told Fox News. "Disney can no longer have its own government and own taxing authority, and Disney — not taxpayers — will have to be responsible for any financial consequences."

"While this will be painful for Disney, I expect businesses throughout the state will be proud of their governor for making it clear that he doesn’t care who you are, or how politically connected you may be — no one gets special treatment in Florida," Lukis continued.

WALT DISNEY WOULD BE ‘ROLLING OVER IN HIS GRAVE,' OVER COMPANY'S ‘WOKENESS,' FLORIDA PARK GOERS SAY

The Financial Times in December reported that lawmakers were preparing to reverse course on the move to eliminate Disney World's special status. A DeSantis spokesperson denied the claim.

"Governor DeSantis does not make ‘U-turns,’" a spokesperson told Fox News in a statement. "The governor was right to champion removing the extraordinary benefit given to one company through the Reedy Creek Improvement District."

In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, English-Irish boy band The Wanted performs "Santa Claus is Coming To Town."

"We will have an even playing field for businesses in Florida, and the state certainly owes no special favors to one company," the spokesperson continued. "Disney's debts will not fall on the taxpayers of Florida. A plan is in the works and will be released soon."

DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TELLS EMPLOYEES HE WANTS TO ‘QUIET’ DOWN CULTURE WARS, ‘RESPECT’ THE AUDIENCE

The Reedy Creek Improvement Act was signed into law in May 1967 by Gov. Claude Kirk following Disney lobbying efforts. The entertainment giant proposed building a recreation-oriented development on 25,000 acres of property in a remote area of Central Florida's Orange and Osceola counties, which consisted of 38.5 square miles of largely uninhabited pasture and swampland.

Orange and Osceola Counties did not have the services or resources needed to bring the project to life, so the state legislature worked with Disney to establish the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special taxing district that allows the company to act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government.

SHOULD HAVE SENT A WOMAN
UN envoy meets with Afghan higher-ed chief over ban on women





Sat, January 7, 2023 

THE TALIBAN ARE A SECTARIAN CULT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A top U.N. envoy met with the Taliban-led Afghan government’s higher education minister Saturday to discuss the ban on women attending universities. Markus Potzel is the first international official to meet with him since the ban was introduced last month.

Taliban authorities on Dec. 20 ordered public and private universities to close for women immediately until further notice. It triggered widespread international condemnation, including from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim has defended the ban, saying it is necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects violate Islamic principles.

That ban was followed days later by a ban on Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental groups, another decision that caused global condemnation and the suspension of work by major aid agencies.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said that Potzel called for the urgent lifting of these bans in his meeting with Nadim, saying the country is entering a new period of crisis. “Taliban bans on female education & work for aid agencies will harm all Afghans,” the mission said.

Nadim told Potzel the ministry was working for the development and improvement of Afghans, with the protection of Islamic and national values, according to information shared by ministry spokesman Ziaullah Hashmi.

He said opponents were criticizing the implementation of Islamic affairs, using education as an argument to achieve their “evil goals.”

“We need to make sure there is no place for them to criticize and, at the same time, fulfill the wishes of Afghans who have made sacrifices for Islamic rule and the implementation of Sharia rules in the country,” Nadim told Potzel at the meeting.

He also said Afghanistan's rulers will not accept anyone’s demands in the form of pressure against Islamic principles.

Potzel thanked Nadim for his time, saying the higher education of any country has a direct impact on the economic situation of that country, according to the ministry spokesman.

The envoy promised to cooperate in the development of Afghanistan’s higher education and shared his plan for female education with Nadim.

Potzel has also met with Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, who issued the NGO ban; Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi; Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and former President Hamid Karzai in recent days to discuss the crackdowns on women and girls.

The discussions come ahead of a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 13 about Afghanistan.

Nadim, a former provincial governor, police chief and military commander, was appointed minister in October by the supreme Taliban leader and previously pledged to stamp out secular schooling. He opposes female education, saying it is against Islamic and Afghan values.

Flight PS752: Families of victims met with harassment from Iran

Nadine Yousif & Bernd Debusmann Jr - BBC News, Toronto
Sat, January 7, 2023

Remembering the victims of Flight 752

Three years after the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in Tehran, families and friends of those who died are still pushing for accountability. But they have been greeted with multiple hurdles along the way, including threats to their safety.

Reza Akbari is one of many Iranian-Canadians who lost a loved one on 8 January 2020, when Flight 752, destined for Kyiv, Ukraine, was shot down by two anti-aircraft missiles after it took off in Tehran.

All 176 were killed.

As the former president of the Iranian Heritage Society in the city of Edmonton, where 13 of the victims lived, Mr Akbari has pushed for Iran to be held accountable for the deaths.

But ahead of one planned demonstration in October, Mr Akbari felt fearful for his safety.

He had been receiving frightening and suspicious phone calls from strangers. In one instance, he believed he was being followed by two men when he was out walking in a deserted part of town.

While the men only asked him for directions, he took it as a sign that he was being watched by people close to the Iranian government.

"Was it a coincidence? I don't think so," he added. "I thought that was a sign that they could come whenever. That they have eyes on me and have people all over."

Mr Akbari has reported this incident and others to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and he is not the only one.

Several Iranian dissidents have spoken out in recent months about being harassed and intimidated on Canadian soil, saying they have been monitored and followed at protests or have had their social media or email addresses hacked.

Others, like Kaveh Shahrooz, a Toronto-based human right lawyer who sits on a legal advisory committee for families of Flight 752 victims, say their loved ones in Iran have been visited by agents in the country as a result of them speaking out abroad.

Canada's spy agency - the Canadian Security Intelligence Service - confirmed to the BBC in a statement that they are aware that Canadians, especially those in diaspora communities, are being monitored and intimidated by "hostile state actors, including the Islamic Republic of Iran".

"The tactics and tools used for such purposes include cyber espionage and threats designed to silence those who speak out publicly against them," CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam said, adding that the agency is investigating these incidents.

Iran has been accused of harassing dissidents in other countries abroad, including the US and the UK. Last November, Met Police guarded the offices of Iran International, an independent Farsi-language news channel in the the UK, after British intelligence intercepted discussions of planning actual attacks against dissident journalists. The regime has also harassed BBC Persia journalists in the UK, prompting BBC lawyers to file a complaint to the UN.

Armed Met Police guard Iranian journalists facing death threats

In 2021, the FBI said it was looking for a man alleged to have hired private investigators to spy on people speaking out against the Iranian regime in all three countries.

Iran has no formal relations with Canada, and has not commented publicly on the CSIS probe. The BBC has reached out to Iran's foreign ministry for comment.

Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his wife, Parisa Eghbalian, and their nine-year-old daughter Reera on Flight 752, said he has been the subject of harassment and attacks on social media since he began advocating for his family and other victims three years ago.

He said he believes the intimidation tactics from the Iranian government are part of "a propaganda machine against anyone who is standing in front of them."

Hamed Esmaeilion speaking at a rally in Berlin in solidarity with 

women and protesters in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini

Despite these threats, Mr Esmaeilion and others have continued to push for a coordinated international effort to have Iran answer for what happened.

They have also lent their support to Iranians who have taken to the streets by the thousands, calling for freedom and justice, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September after she was detained by Iran's morality police.

Iran: A really simple guide to the protests

"People are recognising more and more that all these crimes are connected," Mr Shahrooz said. "It didn't start with Mahsa Amini, or even the plane. These crimes go back 43 years with the birth of the Islamic Republic."

Of those who perished on the flight, 138 had ties to Canada, including 55 citizens and 30 permanent residents. The dead included 29 children, 53 university students, four newlywed couples, and eight entire families.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation has blamed the downing of the plane, which occurred amid heightened tensions in the region following the US killing of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, on "human error".

But in a 2021 report, Canada said Iran's government was "fully responsible" for the incident, though there was no evidence to suggest it was premeditated.

In the three years since the tragedy, the victims' families have explored multiple avenues to get answers from Iran, including taking the unusual step last year of filing a case in the International Criminal Court, which does not typically hear from civilians.

In its filing, the families argued that the downing of the plane was a war crime and part of systematic attacks on civilians amounting to a crime against humanity, Mr Shahrooz said. Their case, however, has yet to be heard.

A separate effort to have the International Civil Aviation Organisation probe the incident reached a significant milestone in late December, after the governments of the UK, Canada, Ukraine and Sweden announced they had jointly requested that Iran submit to binding arbitration, arguing the missiles that downed the flight were launched "unlawfully and intentionally".

The Iranian government now has six months to respond, a spokesperson for Canada's foreign affairs ministry told the BBC. If it fails to do so, Canada and the coalition countries will move to litigate the issue before the International Court of Justice.

The move is a big step forward for the victims' families, who say the fight for accountability has consumed their daily lives in the last three years.

"I used to like to travel, I used to go golfing, but I don't enjoy it anymore," said Kourosh Doustshenas, a Winnipeg man who lost his fiancé, Forough Khadem, on Flight 752. "What I do now is I want to make sure: could I write another letter to somebody? Did I forget something?"

"On a personal level, I need closure, and the only way I can have closure in my life is if I know the truth."

Protesters clash with police at COVID antigen kit maker factory in China

Sun, January 8, 2023 

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Protesters clashed with police in central China during a demonstration on Saturday by hundreds of people at a factory producing COVID-19 antigen kits, several videos posted to social media showed.

Online users said the protest was over wages and the layoff of several workers by the manufacturer, Zybio, in the central municipality of Chongqing.

Reuters was unable to obtain any immediate comment from Zybio, but verified, via geolocation, that some of videos were filmed at the company's factory in Chongqing.

One video showed people throwing traffic cones, boxes and stools at police carrying riot shields. Another video, posted on social media platforms such as Twitter and Douyin, showed dozens of protesters chanting "return our money".

A person who answered a phone call at Zybio's headquarters declined to comment on Sunday. Emails to the company were not immediately answered.

Protests are not rare in China, which has over the years seen people demonstrate over issues such as financial scams or labour disputes.

But authorities have been on higher alert after a series of protests late last year, including worker unrest at Apple supplier Foxconn's massive iPhone factory in central China, as well as widespread protests in Chinese cities and top universities against COVID restrictions.

(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

BANANA REPUBLIC

W.Va. journalist let go after reporting on abuse allegations


This undated photo shows former West Virginia Public Broadcasting reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely. Knisely was let go from her job at WVPB on Dec. 20, 2022, after she wrote about the alleged abuse of people with disabilities at the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services. 

(Amelia Ferrell Knisely via AP) 

LEAH WILLINGHAM
Sat, January 7, 2023

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia journalist lost her job last month after she reported about alleged abuse of people with disabilities within the state agency that runs West Virginia's foster care and psychiatric facilities.

Amelia Ferrell Knisely, a reporter at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, said she was told to stop reporting on the Department of Health and Human Resources after leaders of the embattled agency “threatened to discredit” the publicly funded television and radio network. She later learned her part-time position was being eliminated.

In a statement, Knisely said her news director told her the order came from WVPB Executive Director Butch Antolini, former communications director for Republican Gov. Jim Justice. Antolini has served as executive director since 2021, when his predecessor was ousted after Justice overhauled the agency’s governing board.

Justice has tried unsuccessfully to eliminate state funding for WVPB in the past and was accused of appointing partisan operatives to the board. WVPB receives around $4 million a year in state funding.

Antolini declined to comment, but other officials denied any effort to influence coverage. West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority chairman William H. File III said Antolini told the board “he was not coerced or pressured by anyone."

File said in a statement that Knisely was never fired and remains on the WVPB payroll, though she said her door key and email were deactivated.

Knisely’s departure comes during a tumultuous time for West Virginia media. Days before she left WVPB, three reporters for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Charleston Gazette-Mail said they were fired after publicly criticizing an editorial decision by their company president Doug Skaff, who is minority leader in the state House of Delegates. Skaff approved and led a video interview with Don Blankenship, a coal company executive convicted of safety violations connected to one of the worst coal mining disasters in recent U.S. history.

The departures leave a diminished capitol press corps to cover the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 11.

Knisely’s stories detailed alleged mistreatment of people with disabilities under state care. The department cares for some of the most vulnerable residents in one of the poorest U.S. states.

After Knisely’s departure from WVPB was first reported by The Parkersburg News and Sentinel last week, both Republican Senate President Craig Blair and Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin called the circumstances around her departure “disturbing.”

Pushkin said Knisely’s coverage of “the glaring issues at DHHR” was “detailed, in depth, and most importantly true.”

“There’s a very clear difference between not liking what the media reports and actively working to silence them,” Blair wrote on Twitter Dec. 29.

Knisely was hired as a part-time reporter at WVPB in September. In November, she was copied on an email from then-DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch alleging inaccuracies in a story and asking for a “complete retraction.”

That never happened, but in early December, Knisely said she was told by WVPB news director Eric Douglas that she could no longer cover DHHR because of threats by state officials to discredit WVPB.

A week later, amid mounting criticism, Crouch announced he was resigning.

Douglas confirmed to The Associated Press that he was instructed to tell Knisely she would no longer be reporting on DHHR, and that Antolini directed him to do so.

As for threats from DHHR officials about discrediting WVPB, he said: “I’d rather not comment on that.”

On Dec. 15, Knisely filed a human resources complaint about interference with her reporting.

Things came to a head later that same day over Knisely's press credentials for the 2023 legislative session, according to emails obtained by the AP and first reported by The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

Douglas initially informed legislative staffers that Knisely would “serve a vital role" in WVPB's 2023 legislative coverage. But then the station's chief operating officer left him off an email saying she wouldn't need credentials after all.

That troubled Senate spokesperson Jacque Bland, who emailed Douglas to ask about it.

“It feels kind of gross and shady to me that someone else would dip in and say that one of your reporters won’t have any assignments related to the session,” she wrote.

She added: “I definitely wanted you to be aware that Butch and Pals were trying to stick their fingers in the pie.”

Responding the next day, Douglas said he had been pulled into Antolini’s office and told “things had changed with Amelia.” He said he didn’t appreciate WVPB leadership going behind his back, “but for now it is out of my hands.”

“And you’re right, it does feel gross and shady,” he wrote.

Knisely said she was informed Dec. 20 that part-time positions were being eliminated. Her email and key card were deactivated around that time.

This week, Knisely announced on Twitter she was hired by the Beckley-based newspaper The Register-Herald to report on West Virginia's upcoming legislative session. Her coverage will include developments with the state Department of Health and Human Resources, she said.