“In Rome 476, author David Parker awakens readers to the wisdom of 5th century Athens, 1st century Rome and 18th century Age of Enlightenment. Gleaning wisdom from the great thinkers and statesmen of the past, Parker’s mission is to educate fellow Americans in the historical, cultural, and founding principles of our country.” — Jeffrey Sikkenga, Executive Director, The Ashbrook Center SAN FRANCISCO — With the publication of his third book, Rome 476, author David Parker’s influence as a thought leader continues to grow.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2023 - Following is a statement from Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the extended detention of Chinese journalist Yuyu Dong. “We have learned through the family of Chinese journalist Yuyu Dong that his unjust detention has been extended two months. We had expected a verdict Dec. 27. This extension will now push Yuyu’s detention beyond the anniversary date of his arrest in 2022.

Iran has proposed amendments to a draft resolution on dark shipping that is due to be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly. The proposed amendments would strip out all mention of illicit operations, dark fleets, and maritime fraud, and would instead only refer to “substandard ship-to-ship transfers.” Iran relies on a so-called “dark fleet” of tankers that operate outside of mainstream tanker markets because of US sanctions.